


Operation: Secret Santa

by ppyajunebug



Category: Hawkeye (Comics)
Genre: F/F, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-17
Updated: 2018-12-17
Packaged: 2019-09-21 12:20:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,218
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17043623
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ppyajunebug/pseuds/ppyajunebug
Summary: Kate drew America's name for this year's Secret Santa. She almost immediately regrets asking Clint for help figuring out a present.





	Operation: Secret Santa

**Author's Note:**

  * For [cynassa](https://archiveofourown.org/users/cynassa/gifts).



Clint should probably be concerned that he doesn’t even look up when the arrow flies by his head and buries itself in the wall between the kitchen and the front door.

 

To be fair it was A. 9 am on a Saturday morning and B. he was in the middle of pouring himself coffee. Not even a supervillain attack would separate him from his sweet, sweet caffeine; a single arrow that didn’t even nick him certainly wasn’t going to stop him from inhaling his second cup of the morning.

 

Once he was sufficiently awake, he went to examine the arrow. Unusually, it had a piece of paper pinned to it. Yanking it out by the shaft, he looked at the note:

 

“ _ CLINT- _

 

_ GOT AMERICA FOR SECRET SANTA. NEED IDEAS FOR PRESENT. PLS HELP ASAP. _

 

_ -KATE” _

 

Clint stared at the paper for a long moment, unable to believe that Kate Bishop was coming to him - HIM - for help with something.

 

“I’m...going to need more coffee for this,” he grumbled to himself.

 

~~~~~

 

“Why on Earth would you come to  _ me _ for ideas?” Clint asked later as his protege paced the floor of her apartment. He was lying on the couch with Lucky sprawled on top of him, attempting to not be thrown off by Kate’s agitated state.

 

“Well obviously I went to Nat first, but she laughed at me and said that you’re the one who does the gifts in your relationsh-”

 

“Wait, did I miss something?” Clint sat upright, causing Lucky to glare at him as he too had to shift positions. “Are you and America dating and you  _ didn’t tell me _ ?”

 

Kate blushed bright red and stopped pacing. 

 

“No...I mean, maybe...I mean, not yet?” she managed. “She’s my best friend and I...you know...LIKE her like her, but I don’t know how to tell her and I thought this gift might be the way and Natasha was NO HELP so  _ you _ need to help me!” She collapsed onto the far end of the couch and buried her head in her hands.

 

“You could always do what I did and pass a note to America that says ‘Do you want to date me, check yes or no’” Clint said, patting Kate on the back. She picked her head up and stared at him.

 

“Please tell me that is NOT what you did to ask Nat out.”

 

“Yeah, no, that’s definitely not what I did, I definitely did something way smoother and cooler and less dorky.”

 

“Oh my god, that’s totally how you asked her out, why on Earth did she say yes?”

 

“Your guess is as good as mine, Katie-Kate.”

 

“I am screwed. And stop calling me Katie-Kate.”

 

~~~~~

 

“Have you considered a flash mob?”   
  


“Oh my god, what year do you think this is?”

 

~~~~~

 

“Okay, so hear me out - we hack into one of the Times Square displays-”

 

“First of all, there is no way I could trick her into going to  _ Times Square _ of all places and second of all, I’m not sure she’d be impressed if we got arrested for a felony”

 

~~~~

 

“Two words: sky writing”

 

“I’M GOING BACK TO NAT”

 

~~~~

 

The Young Avengers holiday party had expanded over the years to include more and more of the superhero community. This year would probably be the last year Kate could host it in her apartment; every surface was either covered with food or people. Billy was adjusting the placement of the menorah in the window while Teddy was entertaining Dani Cage by shifting his face into sillier and sillier configurations. Tommy hadn’t arrived yet, but was sure to right before presents were exchanged and claim that “he had been there the whole time, he’d just been moving too fast for them to see him.” Natasha and Clint were hiding in the kitchen - probably spiking the punch - while Cassie and her dad chatted with Luke and Jessica by the drooping Christmas tree. America was on the couch laughing with Jessica Drew, whose baby was napping in Kate’s room; Matt (still wearing that stupid sweater) had laughingly promised earlier to serve as a human baby monitor and let her know when he awoke. 

 

And Kate? Kate was rubbing her nervous and sweaty palms on her leggings, trying to pay attention to the story Doreen was telling her and definitely not staring America. 

 

Not at all. Not even when she brushed her hair back from her face and her eyes lit up as she laughed and her hands waved enthusiastically as she told a story and -

 

“...time?” Doreen’s voice filtered back into Kate’s consciousness and she quickly refocused her attention.

 

“Sorry, can you repeat that?”

 

Doreen smiled as if she knew what Kate had been thinking. “I said, Tommy just got here, so I think it must be present time?” Kate looked into the kitchen, saw Tommy loading up a plate with as much food as he could carry, and checked her watch.

 

“How does he always know?” 

 

~~~~

 

The gift exchange goes off without a hitch - Kate learned her lesson after she invited Tony two years ago and found herself scrubbing spaghetti off the ceiling at 3 am- and America loves the new pair of earrings Kate got for her. People begin drifting out around 9, and soon it’s just Kate and America finishing off the dregs of the wine bottles. A comfortable silence falls between them as they sit on the couch, their knees touching as they face each other.

 

Kate takes a deep breath and is about to launch into what is sure to be a stumbling monologue when Lucky comes trotting into the room. He heads straight for her and rests his head on their knees.

 

His head which has mistletoe dangling over it from his collar.

 

Mistletoe that has a note attached to it, addressed to America.

 

Before Kate can snatch it away, America has grabbed the note and opened it.

 

“Kate likes you. Do you like her back? Check yes or no. Love, Clint” she reads aloud as Kate simultaneously turns bright red and starts planning murder.

 

“I’m going to take every one of his arrows and dip them in glue, I’m going to break into his apartment and-”

 

She never finishes the thought because suddenly America is kissing her and her lips are so soft and she tastes like wine and this is way, _ way  _ better than revenge. Kate grabs the note out of America’s hand as she shifts over her, crumpling it up and dropping it to the ground as she runs her fingers through America’s hair and deepens the kiss.

 

Lucky picks up the dropped note and carries it back to the bedroom, where Clint is dangling outside the window. Clint, seeing its wrinkled state, chuckles and tugs three times on the rope. He ascends quickly and clambers back onto the roof where Natasha is waiting for him.

 

“I declare Operation: Secret Santa to be an unqualified success” he crows with delight, pumping his fists into the air.

 

Natasha just rolls her eyes.

 

~~~~

 

Clint is awakes the next day to a text message from Kate. There’s a selfie of her kissing America on the cheek as they drink coffee at her breakfast table and the words:

 

_ You’re a huge dork, but thankfully so is America. Merry Christmas, Hawkeye. _


End file.
